Acupuncture Blog

So, as most of you may already know, I am an Occupational Therapist turned acupuncturist-herbalist. I love being an OT and I love practicing my new ancient medicine also! But as I read the February 2008 Advance Magazine for OT’s, I found Jay Goodman’s article on “Getting The Point: My Experience With Acupuncture”, I found myself reaching into the corner to grab my soapbox!
Let’s start with the magazine itself. Advance is a professional magazine that really has come to educationally support OT’s and the use of alternative treatments since we as OT’s are holistic in thinking anyhow. It’s a perfect combination! So, I am a bit confused as to why Advance chose to publish Mr. Goodman’s article. Perhaps it is in the name of “publishing the other side of the story”.
Mr. Goodman’s beliefs are clearly based in the Western-medical approach of explaining health/injury and how the body works. There were a few flaws with his article though. First, acupuncture is explained exceptionally well within it’s own theoretical context and we have been successful at treating/healing many ailments for thousands of years within that context. We only recently have been trying to fit the ancient medical art into the Western medical construct that is strongly based in the findings of evidence-based research. But this has not proven easy or capable of fitting nicely into a double blind, gold standard study format without challenges. But it is not for lack of trying and the NIH recognizes the need for research as noted by the sheer increase in the number of grants that have been awarded to research facilities for acupuncture in the past few years.
Mr. Goodman also failed to site any research findings to support his “theory”, just basic medical knowledge that doesn’t fully explain how acupuncture works. So, for him to say at the end of his article what “injuries” acupuncture “might” be good for is a slap in the face of all acupuncturists, OT’s, and PT’s who “might” think of making a referral or have found relief from receiving acupuncture. Please, Mr. Goodman, I won’t make recommendations about who should receive PT treatments if you refrain from making recommendations about what “might” be good for acupuncture.
Now, I put my soapbox back in it’s corner…

Check this link out to read Mr. Goodman’s article in it’s entirety.

The Marlborough Wellness Center Presents
The “Alternatively Speaking” Series on
Landscape Feng Shui:
The Art of Placement in your garden

Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese practice of balancing one’s home with the natural energy outside, can have an impact on the abundance you bring into your life.

Come learn how to enhance your gardens and landscape using Feng Shui principles. When the energy outside the home is well balanced, that ensures positive energy will be entering your home which can have a tremendous impact on your life! This seminar will focus on how to use Feng Shui colors and the five elements, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood, in your gardens and landscape to ensure balance is achieved.

The presentor, Christine Conway, is a Certified Feng Shui Practitioner. Christine studied with the creator of BTB Feng Shui, Professor Lin Yun at Harvard University.

Date: Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
Place: “60Nobscot”, 60 Nobscot Road, Sudbury, MA 01776; www.60nobscot.com
Time: 7:00 – 8:00pm
RSVP: to Christine Conway, 978-422-9984, by March 7th, 2008
Food will be provided! Come one, Come all! Bring a friend!

So what does WBZ 1030, the Marlborough Wellness Center, and the University of Maryland Medical School all have in common? They all have great research findings and information on improving infertility rates with the use of acupuncture!

“…Acupuncture has been used in China for centuries to regulate the female reproductive system. So researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the VU University Amsterdam set out to determine whether acupuncture given with embryo transfer improves the rates of pregnancy and live birth among women undergoing in vitro fertilisation.

They reviewed seven trials involving 1,366 women undergoing in vitro fertilisation. The trials compared acupuncture, administered within one day of the embryo transfer procedure, with sham acupuncture or no additional treatment.

The overall quality of the trials was good and included a broad selection of women at various ages and with different causes and durations of infertility.

Complementing the embryo transfer process with acupuncture increased the odds of pregnancy by 65% compared to sham acupuncture or no additional treatment. In absolute terms, this means that 10 women would need to be treated with acupuncture to bring about one additional pregnancy.”
Check out this link for a more detailed report of the research analysis.
And this link for the detailed WBZ 1030 report!

Please call the Center if you are looking to enhance your odds! We do tailor our treatments to this population!